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| Established | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Dave McNee, Claudia Mandekic |
| Founded at | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Type | Educational program |
| Location |
|
Parent organization | Quantum Sports and Learning Association |
| Website | ballmatics |
BallMatics is a Canadian educational program that teaches mathematics through sports, primarily basketball. Developed in Toronto, Ontario, by the non-profit Quantum Sports and Learning Association (QSLA), the program integrates topics from the school mathematics curriculum into basketball skill-building activities.[1][2] It is currently delivered in schools in Toronto, including Uchenna Academy, an affiliated independent high school.[3][4]
History
editBallMatics originated from a meeting between a teacher candidate who encountered difficulty of engaging students in mathematics, and a marketing professional who suggested pairing the subject with sports.[3] The concept was first delivered in 2011 as a summer program at Georges Vanier Secondary School in Toronto for students who had not passed Grade 9 mathematics.[3] The founders, who had established a tutoring non-profit, later expanded the program through the Quantum Sports and Learning Association.[3][2]
Program
editBallMatics combines basketball skill-building with mathematics activities, with each session pairing curriculum topics with basketball drills.[1] The program has been offered to students from Grade 1 to Grade 12.[1] Examples of mathematics topics taught and practiced on the basketball court include, but is not limited to:
- Fractions
- Coordinate plane geometry (from grade 1-10)
- Statistics
- Simple and compound interest, and added financial literacy topics (ex. budgeting)
- Trigonometry
- Quadratics
- Linear functions and slope
- Projectile motion
Reported examples of its approach include using a player's position on the court to teach coordinate geometry, the angle of a shot to introduce trigonometry,[3] making baskets and superimposing them on a coordinate grid to learn the quadratic formula, or using basketball scenarios to teach concepts such as parabolas and the Pythagorean theorem.[2] Financial literacy topics include using passes, basket percentage and time to completion as data values used to calculate simple or compound interest earned. The organization is developing a mobile application to deliver the program outside of its facility.[3]
Uchenna Academy
editUchenna Academy is a private secondary school operated at the BallMatics facility at 950 Dupont Street.[3] As of 2023 it enrolled about 26 full-time students and offered subsidies to students requiring financial assistance.[3] The school operates as a private school registered with the Ontario Ministry of Education[5] and is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[6] According to Reader's Digest Canada, three of the school's first graduates received university scholarships.[3]
Research
editA 2021 master's thesis, completed at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, examined the program using a mixed-methods design with a group of middle-school students. The study reported increased student engagement and motivation in mathematics among participants.[7]
Reception
editThe program has been covered by national and local media, including CBC Radio,[2] CTV's Your Morning,[1] and Reader's Digest Canada.[3] Student groups from Toronto schools have participated in the program; in 2025, Grade 9 students from James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic High School attended a financial-literacy session at the facility.[8]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Inside the groundbreaking new program that combines math and basketball". Your Morning. CTV. September 2, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Vermes, Jason (May 20, 2019). "This Toronto program is teaching kids Pythagorean theorem — using basketballs". CBC Radio. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Toub, Micah (January 4, 2023). "How BallMatics Teaches Math Through Basketball". Reader's Digest Canada. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Long-vacant Toronto space that was supposed to be a brewery is now something magnificent". blogTO. March 14, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Inspected private schools and their courses". Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Accredited member directory". Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Mandekic, Claudia (2021). BallMatics Program – Basketball Court as a Middle-school Math Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study (Master's thesis). University of Toronto.
- ↑ "James Cardinal McGuigan's Grade 9 Students Take Math On and Off the Court!". Toronto Catholic District School Board. October 17, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.